1 Granville Marina was a stunning example of how the council can do things by the book and produce the most ridiculous result, it shows just what a developer can get away with while the council’s building control officers look on.Yep I am afraid that there they are paid for by us to protect our heritage and yet seemingly unable to do so, which begs the question why should we pay for something that doesn’t work?
Anyway don’t take my word for it click on the link and look at the pictures http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/cafe/index.htm Bertie has posted about this one see http://thanetstrife.blogspot.com/2009/06/planning-by-bulldozer-makes-change.html so has Dave see http://eastclifframsgate.blogspot.com/2009/06/granville-marina-restaurant.html seems they couldn’t just say stop the demolition while we review the situation more pictures here http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/cafe/id2.htm you can see the building control officers in the pictures, seemingly they have no control.
Anyway back in February 2008 when this happened I wrote to TDC asking what had gone wrong click on the link for the correspondence http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/cafe/id4.htm so why bring this up now?
Next Wednesday there is a planning committee meeting and one of the items is for a much larger development there with residential accommodation on the ground floor with recommendation to approve these plans see http://tdc-mg-dmz.thanet.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=1610Well all along the line it has been the developers clear intention to demolish this listed building to make way for a much larger building, also to put residential accommodation on the ground floor in what the environment agency say is a Flood Zone 3a (High Probability) something you are not allowed to do.
The following is a quote from the environment agency writing about the Pleasurama development which is slightly further along the same sea defence and at about the same level.
“Areas immediately behind defences lie in the High Risk Rapid Inundation Zone (RIZ) and are particularly vulnerable due to the risk of the defences being over-topped or breached, resulting in fast-flowing and potentially deep water with little or no warning.”
I should point out that at a previous meeting the recommendation was to turn them down, it certainly makes one wonder what has happened to make them change their minds.
Reading the flood risk assessment attached to the planning application refs F/TH/09/0052 and F/TH/09/0051 the link takes you the TDC planning website http://www.ukplanning.com/thanet it says that there is no evidence of the site flooding in the past, this is a bit odd as it floods pretty much every winter.
You have mates who are developers and then you fill the planning committee with hand picked members - interesting concept?
ReplyDeleteYou maybe also stop enforcement action being as firm as it maybe - have you read the files Michael?
The principle of listed buildings was introducd in 1947 and anything over 30 years old can be listed. There are 440,000 listed buildings in the UK and over half a million if you include ancient monuments. 370,000 listed buildings exist in England, 22,000 in Wales, 46,000 in Scotland and 8,500 in Northern Ireland (2% of all buildings in the provence!) Apart from listed buildings and ancient monuments there are another 20,000 properties held by the National Trust. There are twice as many listed buildings now as in 1980 and 3X that of 1970. English Heritage, the body responsible for most listings hold over 2000 volumes containing listings! (Source: Let's Build, James Heartfield ISBN 0-9553830-0-5)
ReplyDeleteIt seems people in the UK want to live in a museum society, always looking to the past. Personally I thought this building had had its time, if I had my way I'd tear down anything over 100 years old unless it met strict environmental standards
9.59 One of my main points is that none of the new developments proposed for the Marina Esplanade meet environmental standards.
ReplyDeleteThe Pleasurama plans contravene strong recommendations from the EA and wouldn’t be allowed if put forward today.
The Marina Restaurant FRA says the site is liable to flood risk on very rare occasions when we all know it floods most winters, it also shows residential on the ground floor which isn’t allowed in a high risk flood zone which the EA have designated this site as.
The plans for the new development in front of the open arches show a structure so close to them that it will be impossible to maintain them. This site also regularly floods with raw sewage.
As for you wanting to knock down everything over 100 years old most of our problem housing is less than 100 years old, with many of its problems caused by bad architectural design.